An email received from Lili Van Heers ( a spokeswoman for the Sikh community in Belgium and is an author of a book on Sikhism in Dutch Language entitled: The Sikhism and the Sikhs (2008, Manohar Publishers):"
"I read the article about the documentary on Afghan Sikhs on Sikhsindia blog.I would like to add this.
One of my students Maninder Singh from Kabul in Belgium is a young Afghan Sikh who asked for asylum in Belgium together with his parents. He daily came to the Dutch lessons and tried his best to learn the language. On the day of the exams ;he didn't turn up. Because this was odd: I rang him and he sounds very sad. They( He & his family ) had been refused asylum and had to vacate their council house within a week and subsequently leave the country. He was worried about his elderly parents as their health was poor.
He said"If we have to sleep in the streets, we will have no access to a doctor and to medicine anymore". He could not understand the decision of the Belgian government after two years in this country.
How can they go back? They have nothing in Afghanistan, no family and no house anymore. Trying to ask for asylum in another European country is of course no option because of the Schengen agreement.
I myself cannot understand the refusal either, considering the dangerous conditions in Afghanistan, the precarious situation of the Sikhs over there and the health problems of the parents".
With thanks:Lili Van Heers(Belgium )
No comments:
Post a Comment